New Mexico State basketball: Zawdie Jackson rises in 2nd half as Aggies beat Southern Utah

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Zawdie Jackson had come alive.

New Mexico State’s senior guard struggled in the first half against Southern Utah (8-4) with zero points on three shots. But in the second half, he was leading the way with 11 points.

And with the game on the line, he was trusted with the basketball.

The Aggies needed to seal a win up 68-66 with under 30 seconds left. Jackson wouldn’t let them down. He dribbled at the top of the key, drove right to the basket and made a layup through contact to put NM State (5-6) up 70-66. The Aggies would complete a 72-69 win at home on Monday evening.

“He’s a tough kid,” said NM State coach Jason Hooten. “He’s really bought in right now, and I’m hoping that a lot of these guys are going to follow his lead… I think he’s disappointed when he doesn’t play well like in the first half, and then he came out in the second half and did some good things. What a huge layup he got going to the basket.”

Jackson played a large role in NM State’s second-half surge. The Aggies trailed 33-32 at halftime but stormed to a 53-39 lead with 13:53 left after a 21-6 scoring run. He recorded five of NM State’s first eight second-half points and drained five of his eight second-half shots.

Jackson wasn’t made available to speak after the game, but his teammates praised him.

“He’s one of our leaders,” said graduate student forward Peter Filipovity, who ended with 18 points. “We need him to step up like he did in the second half and make the plays.

Cook said he pushed Jackson down the stretch to try and motivate him, and it seemed to work.

“We had a few conversations,” Cook said. “Me and him, being the seniors, we got to lead more. I told him he has to step up.”

The Aggies are back in the win column after losing 91-67 to Texas last week, and stay home to face Northern New Mexico (3-13) at 7 p.m. Thursday. After that, they have nine days before facing NAIA University of the Southwest (7-4) on Dec. 28.

Those will be NM State’s last non-conference games before entering Conference USA…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/mexico-state-basketball-zawdie-jackson-081801733.html

Author : Las Cruces Sun-News

Publish date : 2024-12-17 08:18:00

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